Sunday, May 18, 2014

Dave Kloke held an open house for the public today to show off the progress on his Lincoln Funeral Car project, and so we took the opportunity to see it.

The frame of the car is made of steel square tubing welded together, as seen here. I'm sure it is extremely strong. This is covered with plywood attached to pine lumber framing.

Samples of the journal boxes, pedestals, and leaf springs for the truck.

Outside is the frame for the officers' car that he is also building. The black extension to the front is a removable gooseneck so that the car can be towed over the roads with a dolly under the rear of the car.

Also stored outside is something I found interesting also: an old C&NW wooden car which had been converted to camp service, that Dave acquired from a yard in Chicago. Various parts, including seats, windows, and trucks, have been salvaged for use on the new cars, and the body will be scrapped.

The car was sitting on these wood-frame passenger trucks. They will be rebuilt and go under the officers' car.

And here are some ancient Huntoon arch-bar freight trucks.

And here is the boiler for the next locomotive under construction at the Kloke Locomotive Works.

Dave himself was sitting there running the drill press, but he also took time to answer visitors' questions as needed.

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The "Hicks Locomotive and Car Works" banner at the top is taken from original artwork of the company, which was in business from 1897 to 1911. The picture behind it shows the four restored CA&E wood cars at the Museum, starting with #309, which was built by the Hicks Locomotive and Car Works in 1907.

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